The Lebanese Maronite Order
was founded by three young men from Aleppo. They were Gabriel
Hawwa, Abdallah Qaraaly and Youssef El-Betn. They were later
joined by Germanos Farhat.

In 1694, they requested permission
from the Patriarch Etienne Ed-Doweihy to found the Lebanese Maronite
Order. He accepted their appeal and approved of their statutes
on June 18th, 1700.

Bishop Youhanna Habkouk bequeathed
the Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya to Father Abdallah
Qaraaly, Superior General of the Lebanese Maronite Order on July
5th, 1708.

The Monastery became the residence
of the Superior General in keeping with its historical, ecclesiastical
and social standing. The Superior of this Monastery, to this
day, maintains precedence over priests during religious ceremonies.

In the Monastery of Saint Anthony
of Qozhaya, the monks grew in number and, from there, spread
throughout Lebanon. The Lebanese Maronite Order was often known
as "The Order of Qozhaya Monks".

The Blessed Neemtallah El-Hardini,
"The Saint of Kfifan", resided there from 1828 to 1830.

At a certain time the number
of monks living in the Monstery attained more then two hundred
monks. The monasteries of Achache, Jdeideh, Bsarma and Chekka
are off shoots of this community.

The properties of the Monastery
increased due to the hard work of the monks and farmers. Renowned
for its endowments and its generosity, the Monastery became a
shelter for strangers, pilgrims and the poor. Well-wishers still
say, "May God keep Qozhaya prosperous".

During the First World
War, the monks of the Monastery incurred a debt of more than
twelve thousand gold pounds. They even sold some of the Monastery's
land in order to aid the needy who continuously came to them.